On 19-20 May 2026, in Ruse, the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science (MoES) held the “Bologna Process in the Danube Region – Rectors’ Policy
Dialogue” alongside the national kick-off meeting of the “Bologna Process Lab – Bulgaria” (BPLab) project, ERASMUS+ project BPLab, co-financed by the EU under the Erasmus+ program. Organized under the auspices of the Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR), and supported by the EHEA Secretariat, the Danube Rectors’ Conference, and the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works the forum brought together university leaders and policymakers to discuss how regional cooperation can support the implementation of key Bologna commitments. A particularly valuable contribution was made during the first panel of the international forum, where Ivana Radonova (MoES) in her capacity as BICG co-chair and moderator, Oana Țînțar from the EHEA Secretariat and co-chairs of the four Thematic Peer Groups – Baiba Ramina (TPG-A on Qualifications Frameworks), Chiara Finocchietti (TPG-B on Recognition), Antonela Toma (TPG-C on Quality Assurance), and Arno Schrooyen (TPG-D on Social Dimension) – presented a comprehensive strategic overview. Since the expert and in-depth work of these separate EHEA working structures is often less known to the wider academic community, their presentations provided an important foundation for the subsequent discussions and offered valuable perspectives for future developments.
Occurring a year ahead of the Iași-Chișinău Ministerial Conference in May 2027, the dialogue provided a timely platform to address the role of regional synergies and cross-sectoral collaboration within the Danube Region and the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). The Danube macro-region reflects many of the structural complexities of the wider EHEA, bringing together diverse higher education systems operating at different speeds, following different pathways, and varying stages of the Bologna Process implementation. Country cases presented during the benchmarking sessions – ranging from Germany’s established national qualifications framework (DQR) and Austria’s strategic measures for the social dimension, to the specific administrative challenges of academic recognition in Bulgaria and transnational quality assurance in Romania – illustrated this diversity. Rather than an obstacle, this multi-speed reality was framed as an opportunity for structured peer learning and the strengthening of mutual trust. This collaborative effort carries added relevance as the 2027 Ministerial Conference will be jointly hosted by two Danube countries – Romania and the Republic of Moldova – highlighting the region’s active role in shaping the European higher education agenda.
A central focus of the second-day meeting was the official launch of the “BPLab – Bulgaria” project (“Bologna Process Lab – Bulgaria: Piloting a System Innovation Lab Approach to the Implementation of the Bologna Process in the Bulgarian Higher Education Sector”, 101228818 — BPLab — ERASMUS-EDU-2024-EHEA-NARIC). Co-funded by the European Union through the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) and implemented by the MoES of Bulgaria in partnership with Heidelberg University (Germany), the initiative introduces the “System Innovation Lab” approach to policy governance. Prior to the interactive workshop, project manager Anna Varbanova-Ivanova presented the project and emphasized that, instead of isolated or purely bureaucratic adjustments, the BPLab model focuses on co-design, pilot testing of policy tools, and structured multi-stakeholder dialogue. By fostering closer institutional cooperation, the lab aims to address systemic bottlenecks and offer a transferable approach to the reforms within the sector.
The accompanying cultural programme was provided by the State Opera Ruse. Before the musical performance, the audience was introduced to the Bologna Process and the work of the BFUG working structures as part of a broader series of dissemination activities.
Ultimately, the discussions in Ruse emphasized how macro-regional cooperation and structured policy experimentation can help bridge the gap between the shared objectives of the EHEA and local institutional realities. By connecting the priorities of the four TPGs – focusing on qualifications frameworks, automatic recognition, quality assurance, and the social dimension – with the practical experiences of universities across the Danube Region, the forum demonstrated how common challenges can be addressed through coordinated action. As the EHEA looks toward 2027, the event underscored that effectively managing systemic diversity depends on a continuous culture of trust, institutional collaboration, and peer support.